Can't You See?
by DarkHououmon
Summary: It won't last. Someday, those fake creators will return. And when they do, we will all have hell to pay.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is set at the end of Racingwolf's Cryptic Investigation. This idea was spawned from a random thought I had, asking myself the question "what if not everyone was happy with Rudy's actions?". I liked the idea of at least one zoner having a problem and I kept imagining how they would rant about it. Eventually, this story was born.

sss

Urgh... this stupid celebration. I can't stand it any longer. I needed to get out, stretch my legs, and clear my head. I'll let these idiots continue to celebrate if they really want to. I don't fucking care.

I got up out of my seat and started to move past the other zoners. It was hard to move around here. This place was crowded, and it was starting to smell a little, too. Some of these guys could stand to use a shower once in a while. I could smell their 'hard work' from where I was. And, my gawd, do these two have to stand right here? They're just...urgh...

I had not made it that far away when I heard the zoners start to cheer. They were so loud. They were obnoxious. They seriously have no sense of volume control. I can kind of understand their excitement, what with all that happened, but... Whatever. I just wanted to leave.

I turned my head and soon my eyes met with who they were cheering on. On the stage, I could easily make out the faces that everyone here had become familiar with, if they hadn't already.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap.

They were standing together, Snap's injuries being proof of the dangers they had been through. They were waiting...well Rudy and Penny were. Snap had a hard time with it, his arm in a cast and the other using a crutch. Rudy himself seemed to be nearly crushed by all this praise. I suppose the boy wasn't really used to it.

Not that he deserved it. I did my best not to frown, but staring at the boy did make my stomach boil further. This was part of the reason I wanted to leave. No...the biggest reason. Everyone here were cheering this boy on, and I didn't fully understand why. I don't think he deserves the praise.

Of course, everyone here would be on my case if I said a word against him. They would think I wasn't grateful for help. Well, don't get me wrong. I am grateful. I'm not an idiot. I know that he and his friends' interface played a role in preventing those fake creators from coming back. So I'm not saying that he didn't make much of a difference. On some level, I am happy for what he had done for ChalkZone.

But still, that didn't mean that I felt he did a good job, or that I agreed with his methods. I had some issues with how he had handled things. And because of that, I couldn't really feel as grateful as I could be. I did not feel like celebrating someone that I did not feel put his all into helping keep this world safe.

I did manage to finally get away from the huge crowd of zoners. It wasn't easy, mind you, and with all the damage to the city, I didn't feel like going there. So I just went out towards one of the nearby forests, and picked out a tree to lean against.

Far away from the others, and that darn racket, I could finally get some rest. It was quite nice, being able to think and not have to worry about hearing those stupid cheers or those stupid speeches or anything. Just relaxation, the Day Zone sun over my head, keeping me warm. But completely relaxing was not possible as I thought about Rudy and what had happened lately.

I narrowed my eyes. Did Rudy really think he solved our problems? Did he think that he had waved a magic wand and now we're suddenly all safe? He is supposed to be our protector, and yet his method of choice was...really questionable. I couldn't help but wonder if he really knew what he was doing, or if he realized just how much could go wrong. I hadn't spoken about it to him, if only because his worries about Snap and the recovery of ChalkZone were already eating him up inside. I...did not feel that comfortable with crushing his spirit more with my own bitterness.

But I didn't know how long it would be before I'd blow up. How long could I hold all this in before I had to tell someone? Sooner or later, I...I would have to tell someone about it. I needed to express my concerns.

I took in a deep breath and sighed, trying to let out all my frustrations in one breath. I leaned my head back against the tree and allowed the thoughts to move through me.

When all these problems began, I had hoped that Rudy would take the right path. I knew how there'd be times when difficult calls would need to be made. I had thought that Rudy had known this, and would take the appropriate course of action.

But I had been wrong...

When I had learned the story of how he 'defeated' the fake creators, I was in shock. Not because I thought it was amazing or incredible, but because I thought it was a decision so horrible and stupid, I didn't want to believe that Rudy had taken it. But no matter who I spoke to, even Rudy himself, the story remained the same. He had blackmailed them, threatening to have them get arrested for breaking into his house, and thus forcing a surrender out of them.

That's it. That's all he did. No further threats. No measure to make sure this plan would work for a long time, or forever. Just..nothing. A simple, almost childish blackmail, and that's it.

I couldn't be more disappointed in our so-called 'protector' if I tried.

Look, I know Rudy is a nice kid. I know that he is not interested in violence or hurting anyone. But...he's got to grow up sometime. He needs to learn that there will be times, as protector of ChalkZone, that he will have to take more extreme courses of action. He needs to learn that some folks are just too dangerous to keep alive, even if locked up. Sometimes, dead was better.

And this was one such case. I am appalled to learn that Rudy sees nothing wrong with this so-called 'brilliant' idea of his. He doesn't seem willing to see the potential consequences of his actions. How long did he really expect this to work?

You see, blackmail is rather interesting. It can be really good for a short time, but once it's disabled, you are left even more vulnerable than before. If you rely on blackmail, you might as well set yourself up for failure. Because it will bite you back in the butt. It's the worst method you could possibly use, especially if it's as worthless as being arrested for trespassing. Yeah, yeah, you don't need to correct me. I know that they would get some decent jailtime for that. But the thing is...have you ever heard of anyone getting a life sentence for that? No? That's my point.

Rudy's little blackmail trick is only as good as long as those three fake creators don't try to find a loophole. But they will.. They were smart enough to find a way in. They will be smart enough to get around Rudy's little trick and come back. It would only be a better of time.

And you want to know the easiest way to do that?

Let themselves be arrested.

They confess to the crime. They serve their time. They get released. And voi la! The blackmail is null and void. No more smoke and mirrors for Rudy. He'd have nothing left.

And even if they honor Rudy's 'threat' and stay away from ChalkZone and not draw anything dangerous, there are still other loopholes he did not fill in.

For instance, what about time? The blackmail won't be good for long. If those three wait long enough, then would the police really care? Last I checked, I don't think they would take it seriously if they waited long enough. All those fake creators would have to do is just wait out the blackmail, and then Rudy could no longer threaten them. I mean, come on...what police station would seriously take a 10 year minor theft case seriously?

That's not even getting into the other issue. One that I don't think dear Rudy had even thought about.

Those three could be stealthy about threatening ChalkZone. They could inform more people about it and get them to draw sneaky zoners to do their bidding. They could have other people draw dangerous, violent zoners, and Rudy would have no proof it was them. If a zoner appeared 300 miles away, could Rudy really link it to them and spring his blackmail on them?

No, he wouldn't. Violent zoners are not that uncommon. Sure, most of us are peaceful, but truth be told, there do exist dangerous zoners. Rudy cannot prove that any new violent zoner is the work of those fake creators.

There's an interesting thing about losing. It makes you smarter. It makes you craftier. It makes you more cautious not to make mistakes. Those three fake creators only lost because they underestimated Rudy's ability to think ahead. Well, now that they know...do you think they would make the same mistake again?

No. They would be more careful. They would take him more seriously. They would try harder. They would become more dangerous.

Yes, Rudy could stop them again. But all that would do was continue this song and dance. Those three will not give up. With all the hell they put us through, I refuse to believe they would stop just because of a single loss to a 10 year old boy. They would keep coming back, and as they keep losing, they will keep getting smarter and smarter, and soon Rudy would have a hard time getting the upperhand. He would, at some point, make a mistake, and that's all it would take to allow the fake creators to win.

In other words, the celebration is worthless. The peace? It won't last forever. It would come to an end. What time it would be would depend on many factors. But in the end, it won't last, and if Rudy keeps up with these stupid methods of dealing with them, he will eventually lose.

You know what the sad thing is? All this could be easily prevented, if he was willing to do his job and actually protect us.

Instead, he chooses to constantly take non-violent actions to solve problems. He chooses to trap and trick, which yeah it may work sometimes, especially in here where he has more power to stop dangerous zoners.

But these creators... they aren't like those zoners. They can create their own army and weapons if they wished. They are much more dangerous and savage. They could easily tear us all apart with their god-like powers. And yet the boy still continues to frolick around them like he does with normal zoner enemies. He refuses to upgrade his methods and man up for reality. He refuses to see the harshness of what needs to be done, and he deludes himself with believing his plan will work for long.

Sometimes, there will be calls for more desperate and drastic measures. These fake creators won't be stopped for long using blackmail, especially over such a petty, eventually old crime.

However, there is something Rudy could do that would ensure our safety. There is one path that I would have thought he'd be smart enough to take that would have saved us all not just from those fake creators, but from any future Real World threats to begin with.

Kill them.

That's right. As gruesome and dark as it sounds, I feel Rudy and his friends should have killed those three fake creators. Such a dark route is the most appropriate thing to do, as it is the one thing that would ensure that we'd all be safe. All that revenge and increased craftiness? It would have been stopped, null and void, if they were no longer breathing.

But Rudy refused to allow that to happen. Heck, he even tried to make sure none of them got hurt when the red chalk dragon attacked. What an idiot... He had only doomed ChalkZone to a future demise by not allowing the red chalk dragon to kill them. All our troubles would have been over, and he could have just dumped their bodies, or leave them here and let them be reported missing. Who in the Real World would find this place?

Yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking. Making a 10 year old boy kill is dark, cruel, and twisted and would ruin his innocence. Well bah I say to that. Innocense has no place when it comes to ensuring safety.

Rudy wants to keep ChalkZone safe, and killing off those intruders, whom I may add will eventually resume threatening us in the future until they get what they want, would have been such a method. It would have kept us all safe from future attacks, and we would have been back down to only residents of that world knowing about ChalkZone.

No more arrogant artist. No more scheming man wanting to get rich. No more crazy woman wanting to expose us. It would be back to the way it was before, when none of that nonsense was going on.

Instead, Rudy backed down. He chose to save the life of the people who had made our lives hell, even the man who nearly had his best friend, Snap, killed, and only let them off with what might as well have been a slap on the wrist. He is no savior. He only delayed the inevitable. He only pushed back our doomsday.

Those zoners are wrong to celebrate him and his friends. They are not true heroes. They are cowards, a disgrace to the name 'savior'. They are not worthy of being celebrated. I only wish the others could see that. But even if I explained it to them, they would not believe me. They will continue to believe everything is fine, and delude themselves into believing that we had entered a new era of peace.

It won't last. Someday, those fake creators will return. And when they do, we will all have hell to pay. All because our so-called 'protector' isn't brave enough or smart enough to do what was actually right.

Well, when that day comes, I hope he believes that his cowardice will have been worth it all. Because let me tell you something.

It won't be.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Decided to add another chapter to this, regarding around Rudy actually listening to the advice of the zoner from the previous chapter. I may or may not write another one after this.

sss

"You won't get away with this, you little brat! Just you wait! Someone is going to find out what you did and..."

"...no one will find your remains here..."

Rudy watched as Vinnie's eyes widened in horror. A familiar sight. He had seen Terry do it before when he had killed her. It chilled him more then. Now that he was a little accustomed to it, it didn't hurt as bad. It still shook him through his core, though, and he had to try really hard to hide it.

He had never thought something like this would happen. He never thought that he would be the one to strike this man down, to take his life and end it prematurely. This was not something he had ever intended to do.

But life was funny that way. Sometimes you were pushed to do things you normally wouldn't. Sometimes circumstances just weren't so friendly, and it was either take action or be ineffectual and let everything you worked hard for fall apart, and lose all that you had. Sometimes there was no choice but to take action, even if said action was harsh. And this was one of thise times for said action.

"No...please..." Vinnie began to plead. "You can't..."

Rudy could feel his gut twist inside. But his expression remained cold, his eyes narrowed. "There's no other way. You're too big of a threat. After the way you and your comrades tried to expose ChalkZone..."

Vinnie clenched his teeth. "I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I swear!"

Rudy shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid it's way too late for that, Mr. Raton."

Rudy wished there was another way. A nonviolent, more pacifistic way to keep this man from trying to profit off of ChalkZone. Alas, such a way did not exist. Not anymore. After the incident with him, Terry Bouffant, and Bob Newland, and the new knowledge they had gained, the three had become way too dangerous. With that knowledge they now possessed, they could easily exact revenge against ChalkZone at any time.

Sure, he had them blackmailed into submission, but it wouldn't last. It would soon come to an end, and then he would have nothing left to use. And even before the blackmail expired, there was the fact that these three could have someone else draw for them in secret and use stealth, or even draw from a far away location using another style, and no one would know it was them.

He had thought that so long as they were trapped outside of ChalkZone, that was good enough. He thought that Terry and Vinnie weren't much of a threat as no one would listen to them. But he had been so very wrong. They had managed to locate someone who did believe them. A professional artist named Bob Newland. And with him at their side, they were able to cause far more trouble and had nearly succeeded in exposing ChalkZone. And all because he had been foolish enough to think that no one would believe them. If he had done something sooner, none of this would have happened.

That zoner he spoke to before... He had been right. He didn't save ChalkZone. All he did was delay the inevitable. Those three would have found their way back in and they would have tried even harder to expose ChalkZone. And with each failure, they would have gotten smarter and more clever. He no doubted that Newland would have come up with a more diabolical plan than before, and even start taking bigger risks, even going as far as disabling him and Penny somehow.

He had been such a fool. How could he possibly have thought that simply blackmailing them with a video of them breaking into his house was good enough to keep them out forever? How could he have believed such a ridiculous and naive idea? He had been way too hopeful at that time. He needed a wake up call, and that zoner provided it for him.

The idea of taking a life still terrified him. Even after he caved in and accepted the zoner's suggestion, he was still shaken up by the idea. He had tried to mentally prepare himself, but nothing could have gotten him ready for what he had seen when he had killed Terry.

He can still see her death throes in his dreams. Again and again, he would be haunted by his actions. The ones that he could never take back. A deep gash across the neck made with a simple knife, that was all it took to take her down. The wound blood rapidly and Terry had struggled to breathe. She had looked at him in horror the whole time, her eyes silently asking him why he did this. He did his best to glare back, to not show any sign of mental weakness. The passing had come quickly and her cries and thrashes died down.

It was only after she had died that he had broken down. He had dropped onto his knees and cried for her death, and cried for what he had become. Killing someone was not something he had ever wanted to do. But he knew, for the safety of ChalkZone, there was really no other choice. These three knew way too much and were just too dangerous.

At least here in ChalkZone, no one would ever find clues connecting him to the crime.

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he glared down at Vinnie. The man had his arms cuffed behind his back and his legs tied together, preventing him from getting too far. He could try to crawl, but like that, he would not be able to get away quickly enough. At the moment, he wasn't making an attempt to flee, and instead was just staring at Rudy in shock and horror.

"No you can't do this... You just can't..! This isn't like you!" Vinnie wailed. His eyes were narrowed, but they mostly radiated in terror.

"I agree with you. This is not how I like to be. This isn't who I am." Rudy took a few steps closer. He kept his somewhat stone expression on his face as Vinnie lifted up his head and looked up at him. "But when it comes to protecting ChalkZone, well...I have learned to make some...exceptions."

Vinnie's face paled at this. "Please..I'm begging you... D-Don't do this..."

"I'm sorry."

Rudy said no more as he approached the man. He watched as Vinnie tried to get away. He shirked his body from side to side in a vain attempt to crawl away, but he did not get far. Rudy placed his foot down on his side to hold him there. Although he was just a kid, and Vinnie was a fully grown man, with the bindings in place, even just a small added weight like himself was enough to keep him from going anywhere.

Rudy pulled the man's black jacket further apart. He then reached down and unbuttoned a couple buttons on his pink shirt. He grabbed the edges and pulled them apart, exposing his vulnerable throat. He reached down and pressed some fingers along his neck, trying to get a general idea of where to strike in order to severe the thick arteries in the man's neck. He wanted the death to be as quick as possible.

The man's breathing came in quick and ragged. His eyes bulged even more when he saw Rudy draw a small knife, the blade glinting in the small light in the room. He struggled to get away, shouting a series of 'no' over and over again, as well as giving some incoherent panicked pleas for his life. Rudy ignored them as he lowered the knife towards him. In desperation, the man tried to bite him, causing Rudy to pull his hand back. He watched as Vinnie bared his teeth fearfully, letting out a series of low growling.

He narrowed his eyes. He was not deterred by this. He grabbed onto Vinnie's hair and yanked on it. The man flinched as his head was pulled back, allowing Rudy to see more of his throat. He placed the knife against the skin. Vinnie screamed louder, his pleas growing more desperate, as Rudy began to apply pressure.

"Stop... Please... let me go.. I..." Vinnie whimpered before he was cut off.

With a swift, strong yank to the side, Rudy plunged the chalk knife in deeply and slashed open his adversary's throat. He could feel his hand being stained with the initial splash of blood. He pulled his hand away and released Vinnie. He took a few steps back and waited for the end to come.

Vinnie thrashed on the ground, his body squirming from side to side like he was some kind of large earthworm. Rudy found it difficult to keep his face completely stoic as he watched Vinnie begin to cry heavily from the pain, which made it even harder for him to breathe. He could hear the horrible, ragged sounds as the man kept trying to take a breath, which one failing him more than the last one. His wide, pain and fear-filled eyes locked onto him. Rudy could see that silent question of 'why' in his eyes, the same one that Terry had given him as she was dying.

Watching this was incredibly painful. No matter how much he told himself that he was doing the right thing, that by doing this, ChalkZone would be safe forever, it was still really hard to watch another human being dying before him. He had tried to hold it together when he watched Terry die, but just like then, he could feel tears of remorse and regret form in his eyes.

Rudy tried to resist, tried to keep showing a cold front, but he just couldn't do it. Seeing Vinnie suffer like this was making his heart twist. Even though it won't last that long, even though he would be dead in seconds, time seemed to crawl to a halt, and his body began to tremble in emotion. And just like with Terry as she was passing, Rudy moved towards his adversary's side. He knelt down and he grabbed onto his head and cradled it. He gently stroked his dark, sleek hair as he whispered to him gently.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I never wanted to do this. Please...forgive me..." Rudy said to him in a soft voice. He pressed his head against his forehead. "It'll be all over soon, though. Don't worry. Soon you won't feel anymore pain. Shhh..."

Rudy continued to whisper to Vinnie as his life faded away fast. Vinnie didn't even try to answer. He could not. All he could do was emit gurgled sounds and strangled whimpers. Rudy could feel something slick and he knew it was Vinnie's tears. Rudy felt tears of his own stream down his face as his dark deed became full circle.

It didn't take long. A few long, grueling seconds later, he could feel the man give a few jerks before finally going limp. He could hear the horrible exhale as he breathed his last. His eyes remained open, the blank orbs staring out into nothingness. Rudy reached down and gently closed them with his fingers. He set his body on the ground and climbed up to his feet. He stared down at the dead body that was once Vinnie Raton.

He flinched when he saw him go into death throes. His body twitched uncontrollably. He was unable to tear his eyes away, despite how horrific it looked. He could feel his own body shaking as the realization of what he had done struck him with full force. Only when Vinnie stopped twitching completely did he shut his eyes and turn away.

The tears stung his cheeks. He didn't know how much he had cried for Vinnie, or for Terry, or for himself. All he knew was that this was still really hard. It would always be hard. He doubted it would ever get easy.

But at least there was only one person left. After that, he wouldn't have to do this anymore. Once Newland was taken into ChalkZone and killed just like his comrades were, then ChalkZone would be safe. Only three adult humans knew of ChalkZone's existence, and now two of them are dead. Once the final one was killed, then ChalkZone would again become a secret to everyone except him and Penny. ChalkZone would be safe once again.

He tried his best to regain his composure. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Now it was time to bury the man. He had a special place set for the burial of the three enemies. An area where they could rest in peace without disturbance, and where their rotting corpses would not be seen by innocent eyes. Zoners dealt with death far less than humans did. They were not accustomed to such a horrible sight.

He raised the chalk and quickly sketched out a stretcher. He walked towards Vinnie and pushed his hands underneath his body. He attempted to life him up, but he was quite a heavy fellow. He would need to draw something to lift him up better.

"Do you need help?"

Rudy nearly jolted when he heard the familiar, feminine voice call out to him. His heart began to beat heavily as he turned to face Penny. The girl stood not too far away, staring over at him with a slight frown and worried expression.

Rudy felt his eyes bulge at the sight of her. How did she find him? How did she get here? How long had she been standing there, watching? Did she know that he killed Vinnie or did she think that something else did and he was just trying to help? What would she think of him if she found out that he was the one who took his life?

Rudy had never told Penny or Snap what he was doing. He didn't want them to worry or freak out. He didn't want them to be burdened with such a horrendeous yet necessary task. He wanted to keep them out of this and do the dirty work himself. If anyone had to suffer mentally for this, he wanted it to be only himself. So long as his friends remained happy and joyful, he would gladly take the burden, no matter how much it hurt.

But now Penny had spotted him. He had never prepared any kind of speech or explanation for when this happened. He didn't know what to say or do. All he could do was just stand there in shock, his body trembling as he looked at Penny. He licked his lips nervously. His heart pounded in his chest, feeling like it was being set on fire.

It took him a few moments before he could find his voice. "P-P-Penny..." He stammered, a slight squeak in his voice. "How.. How did you... H-How long were you..."

Penny took a few steps forward. Her frown deepened a little. There was some disappointment in those eyes, causing Rudy to shut his eyes in shame. He flinched as he heard Penny speak. "I saw what you did, Rudy."

Rudy stammered. "I-I can explain..."

Penny raised her hand, cutting him off. "No need. I know exactly why you did it." Her expression softened up slightly. "You just wanted to protect ChalkZone."

Rudy could have sworn he felt his jaw hit the ground. "H-How did you know...?"

"I overheard your conversation with that zoner. And well...as much as I don't like him, he did make some good points." Penny rubbed the side of her neck and face in a nervous fashion. "We really did have very little options with those guys..." She looked over at Rudy, giving him a sympathetic expression. "I saw you kill Ms. Bouffant." Rudy gasped at this. "And I saw you kill Mr. Raton."

Rudy took in several quick breaths. Penny had witnessed him take a life? Two lives? He...He never wanted her to see something like that. He had hoped that he would have spared her the horrible sight, but to know that she had witnessed it...

Oh poor Penny.. He couldn't imagine what had gone through her head when she saw it. He couldn't begin to think of what thoughts and emotions went through her head as she saw those two breathe their last, their throats slashed open and bleeding to death. If he had known she had seen it, he would have held onto her, begged her forgiveness, and try to help her feel better. It certainly would have helped him as well.

"I didn't say anything because I knew you wouldn't have wanted me to know. I...had a hard time following you myself. But...I knew I had to do it." Penny bit her lip. She continued to stare at Rudy sadly. "I was worried that...you would need help. I wanted to be here for you if something happened. I wanted you to be able to pull this off."

"You...wanted to help me...?" Rudy couldn't believe what he heard. "But..I..."

Penny gave him a small smile. "I had seen death before, Rudy. It comes with the job of being an assistant to my mother, who happens to be a vet. I had seen plenty of animals, like dogs and cats, die. I know seeing a human die is different, but once you have seen enough death as me, watching another human perish isn't as painful."

Rudy let this sink in. He had almost forgotten about that. Of course Penny would be more used to death than he was. Not all pets make it out of the vet alive. Some met more tragic ends. Mrs. Sanchez could fix a lot of things, but not everything.

"So you...don't hate me...?"

Penny's eyes widened in shock. "Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

Rudy lowered his head. He gave a few soft cries as the full impact of what he did crashed down on his shoulders. He felt slick, wet tears stream down his face rapidly. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop. "I killed someone, Penny..."

"Only because you thought you were doing the right thing." Penny cooed to him gently. "I don't like the idea either, but..." She bit her lip as she stared down at Vinnie's deceased form. "It was either that, or we risk them getting into ChalkZone again. You didn't have a choice, Rudy."

Rudy trembled. "I-It still hurts..."

"I know, Rudy." Penny moved in closer towards him. "But don't worry. This won't change who you are. You will always be Rudy Tabootie, the Great Protector."

Rudy wasn't sure how much comfort he could take in her words. He had done a terrible thing. Eve with her acceptance, even with understanding there wasn't a choice, it was still going to hurt. A part of him wished he worked at Penny's mom's place more so he would have grown more accustomed to death. Just...how could anyone just accept this? It was so awful...

He was never going to feel clean again. No amtter how much he scrubbed himself, he was going to feel filthy, like a dirty monster who had crawled out of the sewer. He looked at Vinnie's dead form again. The man's voice still echoed in his skull. He could see those eyes staring at him, his voice pleading with him to let him go. These were soon joined by images of Terry. They swirled together, creating horrible distortions of them in his head, calling out to him, begging him to stop, pleading for life.

He stared at Penny for a few moments, and then he dropped down onto his knees. He began to cry loudly, placing his hands against his face, his tears making his palms wet and slick. He did not react as he heard Penny approach him quickly. He did not struggle as he felt her wrap her arms around him and pull him against her. He could feel her warmth surrounding him, creating a sort of thin cloak of comfort around him. He took only seconds to return the hug, wrapping his arms around her and holding onto her tightly, terrified to let go.

"Shh...it's all right, Rudy." Penny whispered gently as she rubbed his back. "Everything will be okay. We'll get through this together."

"Wh-What will the zoners say if they..."

"They won't find out, Rudy. And even if they do, they will understand you did it to protect ChalkZone. They might be angry for a while, but they will come to realize the necessity of what you did. Do not worry, Rudy. They'll listen." Penny rubbed her hand along him, continuing to speak in a soothing voice. "There's just one more thing left to do and then we can put this nasty mess behind us. We can move on, and ChalkZone will be safe."

Rudy didn't answer her. He just kept crying softly, keeping his face buried in her shoulder. He let out his emotions, his tears blinding him, stinging his cheeks. He wanted so badly to believe her, and yet in the moment, he just couldn't bring himself to. He was too torn up inside to fully accept her words. It was just so hard to have to accept this as reality. Oh why couldn't things have been so much easier?

He didn't react this poorly before. He still cried for Terry's death, but he had been able to recover and bury her. But now, he broke down worse than before. He wondered if it was because Penny was here. Yeah that had to be it. With someone else to cry with, someone else to listen to, his mind was more willing to release the emotions that he had welled up inside. He had this pent up for too long, and, he couldn't lie, it did feel good.

Penny continued to hold onto him whispering soft, gentle words to him. Her voice seemed to echo even in the confines of this room in this old building. No matter how depressed he got, no matter how frightened he felt, Penny's reassuring voice sliced through the darkness and helped him start to feel a little better.

Slowly but surely, he began to calm down. He rapidly used up his energy crying, and the more he used up, the slower and quieter he cried. He could feel his shaking slowly stop and his body becoming still save for a few brief tremors every once in a while. His sobbing died down, transforming into soft, light whimpering. He continued to hold onto Penny, keeping his head pressed against her shoulder for comfort. Even as he settled down, Penny didn't let him go, and held him against her, gently rubbing his back.

Eventually, as he gave a few final small cries, he moved himself away from her and stared at her in the eyes. Penny stared back, smiling the best she could. Rudy slowly began to smile back. He was glad that Penny understood and was here for him. He was glad for the comfort and reassurance she had provided. After what he had forced to do, this...this meant a lot to him.

"Oh Penny... I..I can't think you enough..." Rudy whispered in a soft voice. "I-I never thought that..."

Penny reached out and placed her hand against his cheek. "That is what friends are for, Rudy. They help each other."

Rudy smiled at this. "I know..." He frowned softly and lowered his head. "I'm sorry for trying to keep this from you."

"It's alright, Rudy. I know why you did it. You didn't want me or Snap to get involved." Rudy stared at Penny in surprise at this. Penny gave a soft chuckle. "You aren't that hard to figure out, Rudy. It was quite easy to know from your body language. I've known you long enough to pick up on that."

Rudy couldn't help but smile sheepishly at this. Of course Penny would have known that. Friends know when friends are up to something. He, Snap, and Penny were no different. He couldn't believe he didn't pick up on that earlier.

Penny continued to smile at him for a few moments. Then her frown returned. She looked down at Vinnie's unmoving form. She bit her lip, her expression contorting briefly into sorrow. Rudy thought he could see a hint of tears glinting in her eyes. She shook her head once and she looked back at Rudy. "We will need to move him to where you buried Ms. Bouffant."

Rudy nodded in agreement. "The sooner we get Mr. Raton there, the better." He climbed up to his feet. He was still a little shaky from before. He brushed himself off." Then there's only one person left to take care of."

"Mr. Newland." Penny said sternly.

Rudy shuddered at the mention of the man's name. Out of the three of them, he hated Newland the most. He was the one who had caused the most problems for ChalkZone. He drew those termites that ripped through ChalkZone City. He ordered those two lackeys to attack Snap and nearly kill him. He drew that dragon after disregarding his advice on the red chalk and nearly had them all killed. If there was anyone he would feel the least amount of sympathy for when killing them, it would be him.

But even then, he knew he was going to feel awful about it. Newland was still a person and it was still going to be hard to extinquish his life, even if it did mean ultimate safety for ChalkZone. He couldn't bring himself to even insult Newland in the past, or even let the red chalk dragon just chew him up. His morality just wouldn't permit such a thing, and he ended up doing what he could to keep Newland safe, even though his emotional side was screaming at him to get torn apart as retribution for what he did to Snap.

Despite his misgivings, he was still going to do it. After all, Newland was the most dangerous of the three. He was a very fast artist, and very accurate to boot. He would be hard to keep up with in a chalk duel. He was hard enough to defeat before; it was mostly luck that he was able to win against the cruel man.

Newland would be the hardest one to take down. He would not fall so easily. He would do what he could to fight back. He would say whatever he could to entice him to do something he didn't want to do. Newland was good at manipulation like that. If Rudy allowed himself to fall into his mental trap...

At least once he was taken care of, ChalkZone would be safe again. No more humans trying to break into ChalkZone. No more deliberate disasters that they would have to fight constantly. No more zoners trying to steal the magic chalk to take it back to the Real World. It would be like how it was before, where the only dangers to ChalkZone were within this world itself. The world that he and Penny had influence over, where he could protect the zoners and those he cared about.

Penny seemed to sense his hesitation and worry. "I will help you."

Rudy looked over and stared at Penny in shock. "Y-You will...?"

Penny nodded her head affirmatively. "Yes. I will help you kill Bob Newland."

Rudy couldn't believe it. He had never thought hat Penny would willingly lend herself to such a gruesome act. He stared at her for a while, unable to shake off the initial shock of what she had said.

Then, when he fully realized what she said, he couldn't help but give a soft smile of gratitude. Knowing that Penny would be there with him, not only to help him carry out the deed, but to help him emotionally through it, did help him feel better. It was going to make this final kill more tolerable and easier to pull through. He was so glad that she could be here for him, and so glad that she understood where he was coming from. He couldn't ask for a better friend.

Rudy walked towards Vinnie again, lowering himself down. "Come on... Help me get his body onto the stretcher."

Working together, Rudy and Penny managed to get the man's dead body on the stretcher. They strapped him down and then began to move down the hallway. Rudy took the led, using his fingers to direct Penny which way to go as they took Vinnie to the burial spot.

Then after that, it would be off to take care of Bob Newland. Then, finally, the threat would truly be over. ChalkZone would be at peace.

And this time, he would make sure it stayed that way.


End file.
